Unwanted texts - Virtual Music Office

Most who use it receive dozens of emails daily, but most email services allow you to filter or select and delete multiple messages at a time.

But what about those increasing annoying texts?

Political, especially if (like me) you’ve ever made even a small $10-20 donation to a candidate.
Advertisements, restaurants, credit cards, and more
Medical: I just got one today. It went something like this
- Would you like us to schedule your flu shot? (Selected the “no” option)
- Why did you say not? (Selected the “I want to make my own appointment: option)
- Thank you for your feedback

Especially because some texts could be coming from a family member, I ALWAYS stop and look.

I originally wrote to Kim Komando (komando.com), a tech expert who claims to personally read every message.

Listen to the slightly edited conversation that was broadcast on 11/22/23 on the Kim Komando Today Podcast and Radio Show.

I had two questions:

Is there a way to stop unwanted texts

Can I assign unique sounds to individual text senders so I know it is them

I found the answer to the second question on my own. If an iPhone,

Select messages
Select an individual message
Tap the name
Tap “Info”
Go to “Ringtone” and/or “Text Tone” and make a selection that will only be for that sender

To my surprise, I received an email from someone at the Kim Komando show telling me Kim wanted to call me and put my call on her show. After I agreed, she told me I’d get a confirmation the following day and my call would be during a 1.5hr window the day after that.

The confirmation email included the number that would show when I got the call and instructions to put that number in my phone so it would be sure to receive the call. Also, to not use a speakerphone and to talk to Kim as if she were a friend……

At the beginning of the call window, I received a call from the show. It was another assistant who detected I was on speaker phone (I was having the call go into my bluetooth hearing aids) and she asked if I could just use the phone on my ear. She said she would call back with a 5 minute hold and a 45 second warning. Then, I would hear the show…. and Kim say, “And now we have John from Fort Wayne”…. and we were connected.

The call lasted under a minute. I received the following in an email after the show with the details of what we discussed. I hope you find it interesting and helpful.

I did not ask for or receive permission to post the assistant’s phone and email info, so that is blanked, but the rest is an exact copy/paste.

Question:

Getting increasingly annoying political and fundraising texts. Is there a way (other than replying ‘stop’) to make them at,

- Do Not Call Registry:
  - Register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry. While this is more effective for unsolicited calls, it can sometimes help with texts as well.
  - Visit DoNotCall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you want to register.
- Use Your Phone’s Built-In Features:
  - Most smartphones have features to block numbers or filter messages from unknown senders.
  - For iPhone: Go to Settings > Messages, and under ‘Message Filtering’, enable ‘Filter Unknown Senders’.
  - For Android: The process varies by model, but you can typically block numbers and manage spam through the messaging app’s settings.
- Third-Party Apps:
  - Consider using third-party apps that specialize in blocking spam texts and calls, such as RoboKiller, Hiya, or Truecaller. These apps have features to identify and block spam.
- Contact Your Service Provider:
  - Many cell phone carriers offer services or advice for blocking unwanted texts. Contact your provider to see what options they have available.
- Report Spam Texts:
  - Report spam texts to your carrier by forwarding the message to 7726 (which spells “SPAM” on the keypad). This helps carriers track and block spam number.